Danielle Kubes: Naive western activists get a harsh dose of reality in Egypt
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If they understood the harsh Middle Eastern landscape at all, which they so obviously do not, they would know that Egypt has fully participated in the blockade against Gaza since Hamas took power in 2007, is delighted that Hamas has taken a beating and shows very little sympathy for the Palestinians already in Egypt, and even less for those living in Gaza — Egypt refuses to take in any refugees.
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Egypt hates Hamas as much as Israel, because, like so many Arab countries, it is constantly trying to fight jihadist extremism. The Muslim Brotherhood, from which Hamas stems, was born in Egypt and is a major rival of the current government.
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A little history lesson for our delusional marchers: Egypt previously 'occupied' Gaza from 1948 to 1967. It refused to absorb the territory, preferring to keep the Palestinians as forever refugees to irritate Israel, instead of providing them with citizenship and a chance at a real future. When the two countries signed a peace treaty in 1979, Egypt renounced any claims over the territory.
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Like most Arab countries in the region, Egypt uses the Palestinians as a tool against Israel, while denying them basic rights. As a matter of policy, the Palestinians who live in Egypt are severely discriminated against. They are still not considered citizens, are restricted from good government jobs and aren't entitled to free health care or education.
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There's quite a bit of anti-Palestinian racism in the culture, and the media often depicts Palestinians in an unflattering light, as revolutionaries or those who sold land to Israel. Although these activists would loathe to admit it, before Israel withdrew in 2005, the living standards for Palestinians was much higher in Israel-'occupied' Gaza than in Egypt.
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The Egyptian people may have sympathy for the plight of Palestinians during this war, but the Egyptian government wants complete separation from Gaza and will go to great lengths to maintain it.
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It has flooded cross-border tunnels with seawater and sewage, and keeps building additional layers of its massive border wall, with steel that reaches far beneath the ground and barbed wire on top, to ensure no Gazan can escape. The protesters probably haven't heard much about it because the Egyptians haven't faced any international condemnation.
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